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Friday, May 8, 2015

EVENT: A Farm Among Fast Food & Freeways - with Obscura LA

There's a five-acre farm under the 60 Freeway, where the Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel rivers cross, that turns rogue gardening into a full-fledged community endeavor and educational opportunity. Narrowing the gap between farm and fork, Earthworks Farm & Community Garden attempts to battle Southern California's disappearing farmland by transforming a vacant parcel of land – curiously situated between a Ramada Inn and a Burger King – into a site for local and sustainable agriculture amidst the tell-tale signs of modern urbanity.

Their organic farming practices produce a diverse array of crops, whose seasonal yield is available for the community to purchase in a cooperative that allows city dwellers to both be local and buy local. Disadvantaged youth from the area learn hands-on work skills and job training in organic farming at Earthworks Farm, whose outreach also extends out to local schools and community places to teach them organic farming practices for their own sites.

Join me on June 14 to explore farming in the most unlikely of places, in an area known as a "food desert." During our inspirational visit, we'll get to meet farm staff learn about the history of the area, and the land they cultivate. We'll even interact with the crops themselves, with the opportunity to take home produce from a guided pick-your-own harvest tour.